In the news...

Headlines July 9, 2014

News:

An American official said that Su-25s had already carried out missions over Ramadi, Falluja in western Iraq and the Baiji refinery in northern Iraq. The official did not say whether the aircraft dropped any bombs but added that Iran had sent more Revolutionary Guards ground forces and air force personnel to Iraq.

William J. Lynn III, the former No. 2 man at the Defense Department, compares the state of the defense industry to the car business from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. “It was basically unpatriotic to drive a European or an Asian car,” he said July 8. “Look what’s happened now. Of the top 10 most American-made cars now, five have foreign name plates.”

BAE Systems has released a video showcasing four possible technologies of the future. Using animations to visualize the way the technologies could look in action, the company’s scientists and engineers say the capabilities could be incorporated into aircraft by 2040, or possibly even sooner.

Britain’s defense exports reached nearly GBP10 billion (US $17.1 billion) in 2013 with two helicopter orders secured by the U.K. arm of AgustaWestland leading the effort, according to figures released by the government July 8.

The United Kingdom and India have signed a GBP250 million deal to equip the Indian Air Force’s SEPECAT Jaguar fleet with MBDA’s Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile, U.K. government officials confirmed to IHS Jane’s July 8.

Britain’s foreign secretary lobbied India July 8 to buy Eurofighter military aircraft, suggesting that London has not yet abandoned hope of ousting France’s Rafale from a multi-billion-dollar combat jet order.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has distanced itself from media reports in Japan stating that the company is close to securing an export of sensors to be integrated onto the Raytheon Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) air-defense system.

Defense:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will visit Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 12, scene of an F-35 fire last week that has put the Joint Strike Fighter’s first international flight at the Farnborough Air Show in doubt.

In a rare concurrence of events, a carrier strike group and all three ships of a Navy Amphibious Ready Group are in the Persian Gulf, for a total of nine U.S. Navy ships in region, defense officials told USNI News July 8.

Burying bad news before a long holiday weekend, the Pentagon announced just before 9 p.m. July 3 that the entire F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet was being grounded after a June 23 runway fire at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The Air Force’s nuclear missiles have stood ready for war on short notice for more than 50 years. Americans tend to assume the missiles are safe, if they even remember they exist. But safety cannot be taken for granted.

Veterans:

The percentage of veterans serving as congressional lawmakers has fallen to just 20 percent, a steady decrease since World War II, and a dramatic decline from more than 70 percent in the 1970s, Politico reported.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released data 80 percent of disability claims filed by Gulf War veterans for conditions related to the war have been denied, citing “inadequate and insufficient evidence” to indicate that the cancers, chronic fatigue and migraines they suffer from are service-related.

International:

Jordan is to arm the six IOMAX Border Patrol Aircraft Block 1 precision strike turboprop aircraft that were gifted to the country by the United Arab Emirates in 2013, a senior company official has confirmed to IHS Jane’s.

The bad news first. The People’s Republic of China now believes it can successfully prevent the United States from intervening in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan or some other military assault by Beijing.

A string of unexpected, even odd, overtures from North Korea to its neighbors in recent days is fueling speculation that the isolated nation and its mercurial leader could be seeking to broaden its diplomatic relations elsewhere in the region to account for a cooling relationship with Pyongyang’s principal ally, China.

North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles July 9 into the sea off its east coast, a South Korean defense official said, in a continuation of a recent series of missile and rocket test launches.

Local military discounts

News: Israel lobbies for more missile defense funds than Obama sought - For the second consecutive year, Israeli officials have asked the U.S. Congress to add more than $300 million to President Barack Obama’s budget request for their nation’s missile-defense programs. Business: Inside one of the most intense, and unusual, Pentagon contracting wars - The much-anticipated...

Italy resumes Navy exercise amid new tensions over Libya The Italian Navy is resuming exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, including near the coast of Libya, amid concerns about rapidly deteriorating security in the North African nation. The exercise began March 2 and includes anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and anti-ship training operations. The exercise was suspended for a...

Two Boeing 702SP (small platform) satellites, the first all-electric propulsion satellites to launch, have sent initial signals from space, marking the first step toward ABS, based in Bermuda, and Eutelsat, based in Paris, being able to provide enhanced communication services to their customers. Whatís more, the satellites were launched as a conjoined stack on a...

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. and SENER, a leading Spanish engineering company, announced March 2 that they have signed a teaming agreement that promotes the use of the multi-mission Predator B® RPA to support Spain’s airborne surveillance and reconnaissance requirements. GAASI is a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft systems, radars, and electro-optic and relate...

Raytheon has delivered a second Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite instrument to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Joint Polar Satellite System mission. The second VIIRS unit will fly ab...

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